Kenworth, Fastport name 10 finalists for Transition Trucking award

The award meant to honor America’s top rookie military veteran driver who has made the transition from serving in the U.S. armed forces to driving for a commercial fleet is zeroing in on a winner.

Fastport recently announced its top 10 finalists for the Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence award.

For the fifth consecutive year, Kenworth has teamed with the Fastport Trucking Track Mentoring Program and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring our Heroes Program to offer the award.

Kenworth will provide the overall winner with a Kenworth T680 with a 76-inch sleeper, complete Paccar Powertrain with a Paccar MX-13 engine, Paccar 12-speed automated transmission, and Paccar 40K tandem axles.

The top 10 Transition Trucking finalist drivers, listed with their military branch of service and current truck fleet:

• Patrick Blevins, U.S. Air Force, Melton Truck Lines.
• Matthew Fowler, U.S. Marines, EPES Transportation.
• Ivan Hernandez, U.S. Army, Werner Enterprises.
• Gail Losee, U.S. Army, Stevens Transport.
• Marcia Luchenbill, U.S. Army, Knight Transportation.
• Shaun Mason, U.S. Army and Marines, Prime Inc.
• Ray Miller, U.S. Army, Stevens Transport.
• John Shepard, U.S. Army, Roehl Transport.
• Kyle Smith, U.S. Air Force, Averitt Express.
• Wade Wanner, U.S. Navy, US Xpress.

“Our 10 finalists represent a wide variety of military branches and occupations and are excellent examples of what military talent can bring to the trucking industry,” Fastport president Brad Bentley said in a news release naming the finalists. “Culling the list of nominees to the top 10 was a difficult task, one not taken lightly. These finalists are outstanding and truly show the best of the best.”

Drivers in the Transition Trucking competition were nominated by trucking companies that made a hiring commitment and pledge to hire veterans on truckingtrack.org, or by members of the National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools, or Commercial Vehicle Training Association-member schools.

The top three finalists in the program will be announced later this month in an online event. The ultimate winner will be determined by a popular vote and will be announced on Dec. 18.

The 2019 Transition Trucking award went to Joseph H. Campbell Jr., a driver for the flatbed division of Roehl Transport, Marshfield, Wis.

For more information on the program, click here.